marcus

Marcus grew up in various cities along the Eastern Coast of the United States. Throughout his school career, he sang in choirs and ensembles, which helped to shape his love of music. At the age of 15, Marcus received his first guitar, and has never looked back. Marcus moved to Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C., where he sought to study under Jay Brighton. Jay had a profound influence on Marcus in the areas of music theory, ear training, and, most importantly, the discipline of practice.After studying with Jay for a few years, Marcus moved to Virginia Beach, VA where he learned from incredible players such as Scott Mishoe and Jay Rakes. In the mean time, Marcus began playing in various bands and recorded his first solo album Martian Landscape. At times, you would even be able to catch Marcus on stage with Paul Gilbert.Upon graduating from high school, Marcus wanted to further his knowledge of the music industry, so he moved to Nashville, TN and attended Middle Tennessee State University to study Recording Engineering. During his college years, Marcus continued to play in several bands; he played on numerous recording projects; he taught private lessons; he played in musicals such as Little Shop of Horrors and Grease; and in his spare time, he studied under professional session guitarist, Gwain Reifsnider.After living in Nashville for several years, Marcus knew that he needed to further his musical education and experience, so he moved to Atlanta, GA and enrolled at the Atlanta Institute of Music (A.I.M.). Marcus graduated with honors from A.I.M. and was brought on staff so that the newest generation of up-and-coming musicians may learn from his knowledge and experience. In December of 2001 Marcus and the band Cornbread filmed Sweet Home Alabama, which was released September 2002. In 2003 Marcus was the Music Director for the M.S. 150. When he is not teaching, you will find him in the studio recording his second album, playing with his trio or other various bands.